New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1887-04-20
From the Christian Union.

Three LoTe Letters.
from The Christian Union.
In the inside pocket Of the dress
coat I found q woman s kid glove that
had once been white but was yellow
and spotted with age and three letters
tied together with a dingy white rib,
bon. [ united the ribbon and opened
them here at my desk at home. The
ink was faded and the letters so worn.
in their folds that they almost fell tic
pieces. They must have been folded
and unfolded a, great many times.
They were written in q feminine hand,
at time when such writing was in q
small and running character, much
different from the stiff, Irregular and
somewhat unreadable scrawl which
is in vogue o.day;; and they bore so
old date that I am violating no con-
fdence. in giving them in full:
Troy, June g.. 1S37.-DEAR JOAN: I
know how sad and sorry you.must feel. be-
cause know how wretehed am. And we
we're so happy! Ii it could only have been
as we hoped and prayed. It is,very hard
to think that this can,in any way be for
the best; but suppose we ought to think
SO. Perhaps we may think SO some time
when we talk it all over together, and feel
the happier because wehaVe known how
sad separation is. It would be worse.
dear, if had lost faith in you or you had
in me. That would be the worst. Oh. If
could only see you and tell you that I love
you, love you! / cannot write, am SO
miserable and unhappy, and Lwant you SO
uuch.
| Nor need write-to tell the tale
My pen were doubly weak.
All! what can idle words avail
Unless the heart could speak?
By day Or night, in veal and woe
That heart no longer free,
Must bear the love it cannot show,
And, silent. ache for thee. C.
"TRoY, June Ia, 1S37.-DEAREsT JOHN:
have been trying to imagine the town as
you describe it, SO that might fancy that
| were with you. Oh, if could be! It is
SO lonely. watch at the window until it
seems that must see you. Down by the
bridge I found place that you cut with
your knife when we waited there Que night
and tried to plan for the future. I leaned
my cheek against the notch in the post, and
kissed it and cried when thought how far
away you were, and how long it might be
before could see you again. But it won't
be long will it? And you will find walks
that we can take when come to you.
am glad there is a river. We can row on
that, as we used to. When we talk it all
over by-and-by, this won't seem nythlng,
will it? But it is very hard to bear now.
Martha is very kind. OF course I can't
say much to her, but it is a consolation
to know that she cares. Tell me more
about the place. and what you are doing.
/ want to know all about it, and feel that
| ! am with you. Once more, dear, I love
/ you, Hove you" C.
1 Troy, July s, 1s37-MY DEAREST: We
| are to leave here. do MT know why, and
/ do MT know for how long. believe that
we are to travel don't know where,
and do MT care. I want to be left here.
What shall I do if cannot hear fromyou?
must find some way. We leave to-mor-
| row, and am as wretched as can be.
! Only wait for me and I will come to you.
|, think OF you, dear, night and day. | can see
| you and your room. Can you feel that
am with you sometimes? / can't tell when
can write again, and I am writing this
in my room to send to you to-day. I
shall fin! some way to write. We are
young yet, dearest, and let us wait and
hope. l am always, always yours. Hove
| you, love you. C.
These are the letters. It was diff
cult at first for me to believe that
I they had been written to Brownlow.
He was so old that could not think
of him as q young man. After read
them leaned back in my chair and
tried to imagine him as hemust have
been when these letters were written
to him, and to picture him standing
by the bridge with ':C'' and cutting
the post with his knife. And then I
fell to imagining the story. What had
caused the separation? Why were
there but these three letters? Had
she forgotten him? Had she died?
Here are the letters;you may tell your
own story, and have no excuse for
not being perfectly satisfied with it.